Taking Chances with Claire Fontanetta & Erin Eastburn of Metta Society
In this month’s TALK SHOP, Culture & Style Editor ANNIE BLOJ interviews the founders of Metta Society, Erin Eastburn and Claire Fontanetta about their careers and new brand, Frolik Beauty. They were photographed at Room For Milly.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
LOCATION: ROOM FOR MILLY
Claire Fontanetta
Annie Bloj: Erin and Claire, this feels like a full circle moment since the first time I met you, it was at one of your Metta Society events, and you were interviewing other dynamic women about their experiences! Since then, we’ve stayed connected via social media, and I’ve loved following along on your respective journeys. You both are such terrific examples of women supporting women and what authentic entrepreneurship can achieve.
You are the co-founders of the incredibly successful boutique social media marketing agency, Metta Society, specializing in elevating beauty, health, and wellness brands. How did you get started in marketing?
Erin Eastburn: I started working in digital marketing right after college at Tory Burch! It was perfect timing (2012), right when social media became important for brands to be part of the conversation.
Claire Fontanetta: I started on the editorial side of things at Marie Claire as a beauty & health editor and then went on to work at Refinery29, where I worked as a branded content beauty editor. While editorial isn’t quite the same as marketing, a lot of what I learned while in those roles applies to marketing as a whole. For example, it’s super important for every brand to have its own tone of voice and visual identity—especially on social media.
Erin Eastburn
AB: What was the motivation to launch your social media marketing agency?
CF: While we were still at our 9-5 jobs—Erin at Erno Laszlo Skincare and Claire at Refinery29—we had worked with a few different marketing and creative agencies in N.Y.C. and were constantly disappointed despite paying over $10k a month for their services. We decided there had to be a better option, so we decided to create one: An agency you could trust that delivered and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. We saw so many inspiring female-lead brands launching that couldn’t afford big agency prices, so we were inspired to help. From there, Metta Society was born!
AB: Community seems to be a continuous thread in your narrative. First, with the Metta Mingles, where women could connect and get inspired, then to the very nature of social media. How do you define community, and how do you build one for yourselves and your clients?
EE: I define community as a group of people that inspires you, makes you a better person, and is a source of support. It seems like a simple idea to build, but in reality, it takes a very clear strategy. The brand (founders, employees) and any arms of the brand (creative, digital marketing, P.R.) need to be clear and committed to the idea of who they are and what type of person they should be targeting. It is extremely easy to have social media A.D.D. You see a beautiful image on Instagram and suddenly think, “we need something like that.” When in reality, you should be thinking, what made me stop to look at this image and engage with this content? It’s easy to duplicate creative ideas from others; what’s hard is to have an idea and bring it to life in an original and on-brand way. To state it simply: get clear on your brand D.N.A. and know what is a core initiative vs what you can be flexible with.
“We both truly believe that you are who you surround yourself with, so we always aim to surround ourselves with positive, uplifting people who are driven in their own lives. ”
CF: I agree with Erin; it’s essential to be clear on your brand messaging and values. From there, community will come; however, one thing to note is that a community takes time to build. Sometimes we get clients who come to us saying they want 50k followers in 5 months. Unfortunately, we have to be the bearer of bad news in those instances and let them know that it just doesn’t work that way any longer. Building a community—IRL or on social—takes time, so we always like to set realistic growth expectations and a well-rounded strategy to help our clients achieve their short and long term goals. As far as building a community for ourselves, we were both so grateful to have strong, successful friends supporting us when we lived in N.Y.C. Erin and I both grew up in Colorado, but over the last year and a half since moving back, we’ve met some incredibly inspiring women that we’ve connected with and who have become such close friends. We both truly believe that you are who you surround yourself with, so we always aim to surround ourselves with positive, uplifting people who are driven in their own lives.
AB: With so much experience in the beauty and wellness industries, it makes you uniquely qualified to launch a product of your own. What were the motivating factors in creating Frolik Beauty, your facial oils?
EE: We have been working on Frolik for over a year and are thrilled it’s finally ready to introduce to the world! Facial oils are incredibly beneficial to almost every skincare routine—yes, even if you have oily skin already; however, there is very little (correct) information about them and how to use them. We want to change that.
AB: I can’t wait to try it! As the weather cools, we all tend to change our beauty routines; what issues are the oils designed to address?
CF: That’s the beauty of the two facial oils we’re launching! Groove and Rise have completely different formulas but can be intermixed based on what your skin needs that day. Groove is richer for those seeking a dewy appearance or who want to dab some atop their cheekbones as a makeshift highlighter, while Rise dries down a bit more, so it’s great for those who have oily skin or for those who prefer a more matte feeling under makeup.
EE: Our oils don’t “address” skin concerns per se. Oils are meant to seal in all the actives you’ve applied throughout your skincare routine, which is why we always recommend oils be applied last after cleanser, toner, serum, and moisturizer—but before your SPF and makeup. Oils don’t hydrate the skin, but what they do incredibly well is seal in moisture. So if you feel like your skin is super dry in the wintertime, try using a Frolik oil immediately after your moisturizer or cream to seal in all of its hydrating benefits.
AB: You both seem to be natural entrepreneurs, but I know firsthand that it comes with many challenges. What have been some of the highs and lows of building Metta Society and Frolik Beauty?
EE: I have always been so excited and energized by thinking creatively about business ideas. With Metta Society, there are so many highs that outweigh the lows in all honesty. I think it makes it so much easier when you have a co-founder that you work with well! We all have off days, and when you have a partner who can help take on your workload and vice versa, it makes a huge difference. I also think we both are very positive people; we don’t let negativity into our business. We make a conscious effort to see the silver lining when things don’t go as expected.
CF: I’ve always been very entrepreneurial and have always known that owning my own business (or three) was in the cards for me, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at first. Going from a 9-5 secure job with 401k benefits, taking a leap of faith, and quitting to start our own thing was terrifying, but as Erin mentioned, it’s much easier to do with a business partner you trust. Some highs of Metta Society would definitely be landing our first few major brands and having all of our growth be word of mouth referrals—that’s when my “imposter syndrome” really went away, which I know is such a struggle for many entrepreneurs. One low that comes to mind is having to pause work for some of our brick and mortar clients at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—not necessarily because we lost a piece of business, but because we truly loved working with those clients and believed in their brand.
AB: How do you see Metta Society growing as the world of social media seems to change frequently?
EE: We are continually tracking social media changes. It definitely keeps us on our toes, but every industry has changes, and the only way to be good at your job is to continue educating yourself. TikTok is an excellent example of this. A year ago, when TikTok wasn’t that popular in the U.S., we took the time to familiarize ourselves with the platform. Now, most of our clients are requesting TikTok strategies and initiatives, and we’ve since launched so many successful campaigns that would not have been possible had we not taken that time to learn the new tool.
AB: You met while students at C.S.U., and you both moved to N.Y.C. after graduating. What inspired you to come back to Colorado over the past few years?
EE: My family was a big part of why I left N.Y.C. My parents and one brother live here, not to mention tons of childhood and college friends. Though, I have to give Claire credit because it took about a year of her seeding the idea and convincing me it was a smart move.
CF: I had to laugh at Erin’s answer above because it took so much convincing to get Erin to move back to Colorado with me. One main selling point was the fact that it’s incredibly expensive and risky to quit your job and start a business in N.Y.C. Denver was a bit of a safer bet, but, like Erin, family had a lot to do with why we moved back. My mom lives in Denver, and so does my husband’s entire family, so it just made sense. As much as we loved living in N.Y.C.—and still miss it terribly—we just felt ready to move on and explore a different quality of life that’s very hard to achieve in the city...like getting a dog! (We adopted a 3yo, 140lb Newfie named Barnabas in March and are obsessed with him. )
AB: Claire and Erin, thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with us. Esther and I are big fans of yours and were thrilled to work on this with you! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for both of you and to work Frolik Beauty into my beauty routine!
Metta Society: @mettasociety // mettasociety.com // frolikbeauty.com
Erin Eastburn: @erineastburn
Claire Fontanetta: @claire_fonta
LOCATION INFO: ROOM FOR MILLY
Room for Milly is known for well-crafted cocktails and spirited conversation. From the luxe furnishings and décor to the crafted cocktails, drinks and small plates, Milly’s is an opportunity to kindle new and long held friendships, explore ideas and dreams and to find inclusion. Our bartenders revel in sharing and creating new stories through their craft and setting the stage for your own. 1615 Platte Street STE 145, Denver CO
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